


what are you doing today?

by mahoun



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Psychic Abilities, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 12:30:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5417165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahoun/pseuds/mahoun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>seasons come and go for sanghyuk. places come and go, but taekwoon stays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	what are you doing today?

seasons come and go for sanghyuk. they come and go, only the air and the people around him telling him that times are changing, that he’d better wear a flannel jacket and a hat maybe – a hat would be good, since his ears stick out a lot and get red and swollen when it’s cold.  
places come and go – it’s difficult to settle down, to find a place he can call home. it’s hard to always be on the move but he got used to it, he just doesn’t remember when.  
people come and go – when was the last time he kissed someone? when did he last hold someone’s hand and hid his face into their chest, eyes shut, too scared to say the truth, too scared to bid yet another goodbye?  
he sighs and takes a deep breath, the scent of the rain taking over his senses. it’s pleasant and calming, and for a few seconds he lets himself indulge in it – for a few seconds, he thinks about how nice it would be if this could be the last place he ever moves to.  
he’s brought back to reality by the rhythmic sound of footsteps approaching, their trail stopping right behind him.  
he shuts his eyes tighter, brings his palms into fists. _1, 2, 3, 4 _… he counts up to ten, then turns around.__  
a woman stands right before him, hunched under a cracked umbrella. little droplets of rain fall onto her dirt-ridden dress and she keeps her face hidden behind disheveled hair, tapping against the handle with her nails.  
sanghyuk knows he needs to walk away, but his feet always fail him when it comes to this.  
she raises her face, splattered with blood and remains of makeup, and extends one arm towards him.  
he sighs, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and puts on the best and most reassuring smile he can manage to.  
“i really wanted to pretend to be a normal person for today, so you owe me one. what is it i can help you with?”  


*

there was a little boy that sanghyuk liked a lot in kindergarten.  
he always sat all alone in the corner, looking outside the window like all he wanted was to grow wings and take off from there. no one ever looked at him or spoke to him at all, except for sanghyuk. he never thought that he was different from the other kids, and loved to play with him the most.  
getting soaked in puddles together always seemed more appealing than playing with the others, and sanghyuk sometimes wondered what the weird looks and the snide remarks meant, why the other kids called him crazy and fucked in the head.  
it started to hurt a bit when he was old and disillusioned enough to understand.

he had to convince himself that the woman crawling under his bed from inside the closet every night was not real, because mommy said so.  
he tried to believe that it was all in his head, even though he could feel her nails scratching on the pavement, even though he could hear her ragged breathing next to him.  
he’d just pull the covers all the way up to his head and count to ten, hoping that she’d go away.  
“all kids have night terrors,” he overheard his dad say once, “you don’t have to worry about it. i’m sure he’ll get over it with time. it means nothing.”  
it means nothing, he said, but the hand looming over sanghyuk’s shoulder said otherwise.

he learned about the sight when he was seven, wandering around a flea market with his mom, hands clasped together because she was scared of losing him.  
back then, she didn’t know that she had lost her son already, to something way too big for her to control.  
“can you see me?” an old lady walking with a kid asked him, and sanghyuk nodded.  
“poor thing.” she crouched down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before walking away. her lips were cold.  
that’s when he knew that he was the only one who could see _them_.

*

he fumbles with his keys, letting the umbrella slide from his grasp and fall onto the floor.  
his little patrol didn’t go too bad. a dead woman asking for help, two little twins in the park, a water spirit two blocks away (though that one was a hassle – he kept trying to grab sanghyuk by his feet and he had to kick him in the nose to get away).  
he wonders if this place could last longer than a few months.  
it would be nice to see the neighborhood all covered in snow, the trees in front of the apartment complex starting to bloom, the little kids playing in the park all day when school’s over.  
_it would be nice, but don’t let your imagination go too far_ , he tells himself, keys finally sliding the right way into the lock.  
that’s when he realizes that he’s being watched.  
it’s a man, young but definitely older than him, pale and with plump cheeks, his eyes catlike and alert.  
he stands under an umbrella – and that’s what the weird thing is – his umbrella is turned inside out, dripping water all over his clothes, but he doesn’t seem to notice at all.  
“hi.” sanghyuk waves at him and hints a smile. he’s a bit embarrassed by this, the only stares he ever gets usually coming from non-human eyes.  
“hi.” the man’s voice is soft, and it somehow matches and contrasts with his appearance at the same time.  
he raises his hand to wave at sanghyuk, completely forgetting about the umbrella and sending it to splash on the floor a couple meters behind him.  
“pfft…” sanghyuk knows it probably isn’t polite to laugh in the face of someone you just met, but he just can’t help himself – not with that someone making such a ridiculous surprised face, eyes wide open and mouth stuck in an “o” shape.  
the other man doesn’t seem to be offended and smiles at him instead, lightly pursing his lips and offering his hand.  
“i’m taekwoon. i live on this floor.”  
“i’m sanghyuk.”  
taekwoon’s hand is damp yet warm, and sanghyuk feels another smile starting to crack on his lips.  
he doesn’t know what it is, but something about taekwoon feels soothing and like home.

it’s seven in the morning when they meet again.  
sanghyuk makes himself some coffee and gulps it down in one go. he decided to skip breakfast, but coffee can’t be skipped – it’s like a morning ritual to him.  
a ritual that goes a bit wrong this time – he forgot to put sugar in it and it’s so hot he gets a burn on his tongue, but he’s not gonna let it ruin his day.  
it’s his first day at work, the first job he gets in town, and he doesn’t want to be late.  
he rushes outside the door and taekwoon is there, leaning against the balcony.  
he’s looking in front of him and doesn’t seem to be aware of sanghyuk’s presence, too absorbed in whatever is on his mind.  
the view is nice from here, the street opposite barely starting to fill up with people, their chatter like a pleasant background noise.  
the warm, slow breeze makes the leaves of the peach trees waver, their edges slowly beginning to redden, just like sanghyuk’s ears do when the autumn wind bites too hard.  
“hello.” he really doesn’t want to be late, but striking a conversation with the only person he likes here can’t do him that much harm, _right_?  
taekwoon turns around to look at him, eyes puffy with sleep, and sanghyuk thinks it’s cute.  
“hi. how are you?”  
he wants to say that he had a shit night because someone kept scratching at his door, but that would scare taekwoon away – and that’s the last thing he wants to do.  
“i’m fine, slept great in my new bed!” he wears his bright, special smile, the one he reserves for the ones that bother him, but it’s different this time – a little more real.  
“that’s nice to hear.” taekwoon’s voice is drowsy, like he just got out of bed. sanghyuk really appreciates the fact that he’s talking to him even though human interaction is probably the last thing on his mind.  
they talk for a while – enough for sanghyuk to miss his bus and have to sprint all the way to work.  
he gets there five minutes before his shift starts, hair all messed up and sweaty, and probably makes the worst first impression he ever hoped for – but he doesn’t mind that much.  
he thinks about taekwoon’s sleepy face and gets through the day just fine.

they meet every day – sometimes it’s by chance, and other times sanghyuk feels that taekwoon’s timing is just _too right_ to be a coincidence.  
each day sanghyuk is more and more eager to learn about him – what he does, what he likes, what his dreams are.  
if he likes his coffee bitter or with too much sugar, what kind of movies he likes, if he he’s the type to read or to spend time on the internet. is he a dog or cat person? what’s his zodiac sign? sanghyuk would love to know, but he’s gonna limit himself to basic questions for now.  
he learns that taekwoon works every day (except for weekends) in a company he doesn’t know of. he doesn’t know what hour he gets off, either, though he’d like to ask (he’s gonna ask another day, he always tells himself).  
taekwoon says his dream is to be a veterinarian, but he feels like he’s too old to start studying for it.  
(“i want to be a cat doctor” is what he actually said – and hey, that must mean that he’s a cat person! – but sanghyuk is sure that what he meant was veterinarian.)  
“a _cat doctor_? that’s not how you call it!” sanghyuk shouts and laughs so hard he has to grab his own knees for balance, his laugh loud and carefree, and taekwoon blushes a bit.  
“also, you’re never too old for anything!” he smiles his brightest and makes a thumbs up gesture, and taekwoon smiles back.  
an unknown warmth makes its way on his cheeks, but he doesn’t question the meaning of it yet.

when he comes home from work taekwoon’s lights are always off.  
sometimes he wonders if it’d be too much to just show up at his doorstep with some lame excuse – “hey, i have no more sugar and was wondering if you could lend me some” – but always stops midway, walking back to his apartment with his tail between his legs.  
every day he hopes to run into him when he goes out for work, when it’s time to take out the trash.  
sometimes he does, and it’s always the same question that awkwardly makes its way onto his lips – “ _what are you doing today?_ ”  
(“nothing special” – that’s the answer he always gets from a reluctant taekwoon.)  
sometimes he’s not that lucky and the one he runs into is very different – bloody clothes and empty eye sockets that stare right into his own.  
sanghyuk just stays still, drops of cold sweat running down his temples, even though all he wants is to turn around and run as fast as he can.  
(he ran back to his apartment the first time he saw it, accidentally dropping the trash outside on his way back – that earned him a lecture from the landlord, so he made sure to never repeat it.)

it’s 8pm and sanghyuk is walking home from work when he decides to take a detour and have a walk in the park.  
the air is chilly, fresh breeze playfully caressing his skin like the hands of someone he’s still trying to forget.  
the playground is empty enough for him to sit on a spring rider without being embarrassed of it, his big frame barely allowing him to fit on it.  
he closes his eyes, all of his pent-up tiredness flowing through his nerves, reaching every inch of his body.  
it’s nice to stay like this, eyes closed and nostrils dilated, breathing the fresh air in.  
he suddenly perks up, eyes flashing open – he’s sure he heard a rustling of leaves a few meters away and doesn’t want to risk being found unprepared.  
he gets up and brings his hands to his mouth, cupping them like a megaphone.  
“ _i’ll show you the epitome of playing alone!_ ” he shouts, then runs to jump on the seesaw.  
slide, merry-go-round, and even the swing – he plays and laughs like a kid, almost forgetting what he got up for in the first place.  
he can’t remember when it was the last time he felt so free, laughing out loud with no preoccupations, with the wind blowing in his face and his head dizzy from the rides.  
he’s quickly brought back to his senses by rustling sounds again. he hears the sound of footsteps cracking on a twig, then a meow – he lets out a deep breath, finally. it was just a cat.  
but the figure emerging from the bushes is very human – it doesn’t take much for sanghyuk to realize that it’s taekwoon, and seeing him never felt so comforting.  
he’s carrying a cat in his arms, one of those white ones with pretty long fur, and just smiles when he acknowledges sanghyuk’s presence.  
“do you want to pet it?” he asks, carefully placing it on the ground and letting it free from his grip.  
they stay there for what feel like hours, playing and sometimes exchanging awkward bits of conversation.  
sanghyuk steals glances at taekwoon when he’s too focused to pay attention to him, and giggles a bit to himself.  
would this count as a date? he doesn’t even need to think twice to decide that _yes _, it does for him.__

*

sanghyuk really likes taekwoon.  
he likes his eyes, his voice, the way his laugh explodes when sanghyuk says something particularly funny and how that makes him want to hide his face into his hands.  
he likes it when his hand timidly brushing on the back of taekwoon’s turns into something more, the way their fingers fit perfectly together making him giggle like a little kid.  
he likes to spend time with taekwoon, but most of all he likes how it’s truly just the two of them when they’re together.  
he thought it was just a coincidence at first, how spirits never bothered him when taekwoon was near, yet it kept happening.  
_maybe taekwoon really is his lucky charm._  
maybe taekwoon could be the one.  
he shakes his head, trying to put these useless, lazy thoughts away.  
there’s no way that could be true, no way his feelings could be reciprocated.  
sometimes he thinks that taekwoon might like him back, but would he still like him after he tells him the truth?  
he closes his eyes, falling back into an agitated sleep.  
he’ll think about it tomorrow.  


*

it’s a windy november day when he decides to tell taekwoon about him.  
he’s thought about it for a while, during his many sleepless nights. he’s thought about it between countless twists and turns, while trying to ignore the scratching at his door.  
the thought of it is scary, but sanghyuk likes taekwoon too much to not let him know – too much to keep such an important part of himself a secret from him.  
he’s gonna take a deep breath and just shout it out, like he did in the past.  
and if taekwoon walks away he’ll call his name, begging him to turn around.  
and if he won’t turn around he’ll just go, he’ll let himself cry a bit and move somewhere else, just like he always does.

“i can see spirits.” sanghyuk blurts out, and he regrets it right away.  
everything around them feels silent, the whistling of the wind the only thing he can hear, and it’s as if it’s carrying his words with it, letting them echo.  
taekwoon just smiles and for sanghyuk it’s hell, waiting for him to say something, to dismiss him or to walk away.  
there’s something weird going on in his stomach and his palms are sweating more than they ever did in his whole life – he’s pretty sure that he’s gonna die right here, actually.  
“i know it sounds absurd – believe me, _i do_ , but–” he’s stuttering, a pathetic little note to his voice that makes him want to punch himself in the gut for being so weak.  
“i know you do.”  
his heart skips a beat, unsure of what that means. it’s like it’s just the two of them, out of time and space, and he’s hanging onto taekwoon’s every word.  
“i know you do. how would you be able to see me if you didn’t?”  
time starts flowing again, the autumn wind biting cruel against his skin, and sanghyuk asks himself if this is a joke, how all of this could be real.  
but it all makes sense – how taekwoon is always elusive, how there’s a lot of things he doesn’t seem to know, and others he knows too well. how spirits leave him alone whenever they’re together.  
and it’s with a shiver that he realizes that he’s never seen taekwoon interact with another human besides himself.

“i thought you’d notice” taekwoon tells him later, looking at the ground between them while chewing on his bottom lip. “but you didn’t. i was scared that you’d send me away if i told you what i really am.”  
sanghyuk feels his eyes tear up, and he isn’t sure if it’s because of the weather or if it’s tears.  
“your company really means a lot to me.”  
he chuckles at taekwoon’s word choice. he really isn’t the roundabout type, so he’s gonna be as straightforward as he can.  
“i really, really like you.”  
“i like you too.” taekwoon mumbles, a little smile curving his lips and his cheeks growing an adorable shade of pink.  
“is it okay if i kiss you?”  
taekwoon nods, eyes trailing sanghyuk’s lips, and when they kiss it feels perfect, like they’d been waiting for this their whole life.  
(sanghyuk knows he did.)  
he initiates it and taekwoon kisses back, shy but decisive, and he puts his hands on sanghyuk’s shoulders. his grip is strong, as if he’s scared that he’d disappear – as if he wants to make sure that it’s all real.  
when was the last time he kissed someone? sanghyuk doesn’t remember, but he’s sure that it never felt like this.  
“would you like to stay with me?” he offers him his hand, hopeful, and taekwoon takes it into his own.

*

seasons come and go for sanghyuk. once again, he can feel the cold wind caressing his face, see the leaves turn red right before his eyes.  
places come and go – that town didn’t last for long, nor did the one after it, old fears and old mistakes always catching up to him, but he got used to it.  
people come and go – but taekwoon doesn’t.  
taekwoon stays, and sanghyuk doesn’t care if people will talk, he doesn’t care if he gets pointed at and called weird. if he has to move again for ten, twenty, a hundred times.  
taekwoon is here, holding his hand when it gets too hard – his hands are warm, and it’s a pleasant surprise every time – he’s here, and he lets sanghyuk hide his face into his chest and cry, sometimes.  
he’s here to kiss him goodnight and hold him until he falls asleep, covering his ears and his eyes when it’s not just them in the room.  
he sings to him, sometimes, and sanghyuk loves the sound of his voice – it’s soft and warm and soothing, and he hopes it will be the last thing he hears when it’s his time to go.

it’s a rainy day again today, and sanghyuk closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, revelling in the smell of it.  
he opens his umbrella with a click and invites taekwoon under it, intertwining their fingers together.  
it’s a rainy day again, and he doesn’t mind what tomorrow will bring him, not now that he has taekwoon, not now that his life has finally found its constant.  


**Author's Note:**

> originally written as a birthday present for an old friend and posted [here](http://mahoun.tumblr.com/post/98583103691/leohyuk-what-are-you-doing-today)!  
> inspired by the XXX holic universe and holly black's "valiant".  
> (the park scene was inspired by real-life events [x](http://hyukson.tumblr.com/post/79207298624))


End file.
